The topic area of this educational material is about life and it has been divided into five distinct thematic units, which can be used both in a sequence and independently. The content and the type of media used in each one of them is different from the others, with differentiated activities, aims and expected products.
- The first unit is about life as a concept and experience conceived differently by each and every one of us. It aims at introducing the topic and generating questions about the meaning of life and things that matter.
- The second unit, stretching over two teaching sessions, aspires to cover the needs of two interrelated, yet, distinct areas, which concern the building of effective co-operative and discussion skills.There are two basic aims related to these:
- To lay down basic rules by which the groups will co-operate in the following stages
- To enhance Ss' conversation skills, like active listening,establishing common ground and learning to keep a balance between talking and listening, sharing and giving space or time.
- The third unit has been designed around a short interview of Cameron Diaz, a famous Hollywood actress and writer. On top of everything, though, the excellent quality of the documentary series in which it is comprised, is expected to give us a unique aesthetic experience, providing different dimensions to a common topic. The interviewees are not just responding to questions asked by a reporter, they are making the most sensational life confession in front of the viewer.
- The fourth unit is about important life stages, accompanying benchmarks and time limits related to them. We will all wonder what the basic features of each stage are and what could be considered as the best stage in life, if there is one. The content has been built upon a short animation movie, widely recognized and awarded with several prizes in different film festivals.
- The fifth unit is about life’s pleasures and joys, prompting us to wonder about the importance of the ‘moment’ and the miraculous power of appreciation and love. A ‘surprise’ scene at the end of the film brings up the issue of disability in a deeply touching way.
This wiki has been created in order to host
- lesson plans
- various types of activities
- an assortment of Web 2.0 tools
- a variety of resources for both students and teachers
- students' products
- discussion posts
- evaluation and assessment tools
One of the basic aims in the preparation and planning of this educational material is to make the English course in our school more interesting and appealing, combining language skills practice, technological awareness, social knowledge expansion and enjoyment. It has also been made with a lot of expectations and high hopes of helping us get closer to each other, while collaborating and becoming involved with high quality content.
We hope you enjoy the experience.